(Reuters) – European Union’s executive arm, the European Commission, has issued an order to ban the use of popular Chinese app TikTok on its staff’s phones due to cybersecurity concerns.
EU’s move underscores the growing lobby against the social media app owned by ByteDance, the world’s most valuable start-up, over concerns of its proximity to the Chinese government and hold over user data across the world.
Here is a list of countries and entities that have implemented a partial or complete ban on TikTok:
India
Banned TikTok and dozens of other apps by Chinese developers on all devices in June 2020, claiming that they were potentially harmful to the country’s security and integrity.
Afghanistan
Is in talks to ban TikTok and video game PUBG, with the Taliban claiming those were leading Afghan youths “astray.”
Pakistan
Banned TikTok at least four times, with the latest ban running for four months till November 2022, over what the government said was immoral and indecent content on the app.
Taiwan
Banned TikTok and some other Chinese apps on state-owned devices and in December 2022 launched a probe into the social media app over suspected illegal operations on the island
United States
U.S. Congress passed a bill in December 2022 to ban TikTok on federal devices. The bill is yet to be signed off on by President Joe Biden
U.S. Educational Institutions
Boise State University, University of Oklahoma, University of Texas-Austin, and West Texas A&M University are some of the schools to ban TikTok on university devices and Wi-Fi networks
U.S. States
Texas, Maryland, Alabama and Utah are among over 25 states that have issued orders to staff against using TikTok on government devices
(Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru)
